She Knew
by JetGriffins89
Summary: During her school days Lily Evans now Potter had been fondly regarded as her year's know it all. And, although she would tell them that she wasn't one, Lily understood that she knew quite a bit more than her classmates ever would. One shot. Lily centric.


_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Lily Evans or anything else you recognize from the Harry Potter books and no profit is being made from this piece. I do own all original prose and interpretations, so no stealing._

_**Summary: **_Lily Evans (now Potter) had been fondly regarded as her year's know it all. And, although she would tell her classmates that she was not in fact a know-it all, Lily understood that she knew quite a bit more than they ever would. Mention of LE/JP.

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She Knew

"_His priority did not seem to be to teach them what he knew, but rather impress upon them that nothing, not even knowledge was foolproof." –J.K. Rowling

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Lily Evans was, simply put, a know-it-all. Her classmates (well, most of them; Black and the Slytherins didn't count) tended to regard her fondly rather than with the annoyance most know-it-alls garnered, but it was still the truth. She'd tell people that all she did was finish her homework, read her assignments and revise like she was supposed to, but a part of her still understood that she knew quite a bit more than her classmates ever would, even if she'd never admit it.

It was true that she knew all of the answers to nearly all of her professors' questions. She knew the proper pronunciation for their incantations and the correct wand movements for their spells. She knew how to get from place to place at Hogwarts almost as well as the Marauders themselves and she knew that once James Potter's head deflated a bit she would give him a chance because deep down he really was a good person.

But she also knew what it felt like to be envied and ridiculed and _hated _by her own sister, the person she had been closest to before that first owl came. She knew what it felt like to lie to her parents (even if it was by omission) because they wouldn't understand that she was in this war regardless of whether she stayed at Hogwarts or not, and she knew what it felt like to be afraid for her innocent, defenseless, Muggle family all the time.

She especially knew what it felt like to come home only to see a glowing, green skull and snake hovering over it. She knew what it felt like to know that they were dead and that her sister was right and that it was All Her Fault.

She knew that she missed the old Potter with his stupid jokes and pathetic pick-up lines more than anything. She knew that she had finally gotten what she'd wanted, but that he'd paid the price. She knew that he was the only one who really understood how she felt, and she knew that he knew it too.

She knew, when she said 'I do,' that love would conquer all in the end, even if she wouldn't be alive to see it, and she knew that new life was the only way to defeat so much death when she finally looked into green eyes so like her own. But she knew that there were those who thought that they were being young and foolish, and she knew that once Voldemort set his sights on them, she would not survive that war and that she'd never see her son grow up.

She knew that James was afraid every time he left the house, not for himself, but for her and their son. She knew that Sirius was worried and that he never worried without reason. She knew that she felt safe with Remus, but Peter made her nervous, no matter what her husband told her.

She knew that poor Peter had betrayed them, that their protection had failed and the barrier had fallen on that fateful Halloween. She knew that it would be the last time she saw her husband alive and hear him tell her he loved her. She knew that begging would have no effect, but she knew that she still had to try. And she knew as she gave everything to save her son that her life was over.

But she also knew— as green light filled her vision and she breathed her last— that she was right in the end. It would take sixteen years and the sacrifice of hundreds, including her only son, but love would conquer all. She knew it.

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**Author's Notes: **I still don't think this is the best I could make it; I believe it's the beginning that's bothering me. Anyway, there it is. I didn't change as much as with some of the other older one-shots, but I do hope it's improved. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed this story or put it or me under favorites. If you read it, please review.


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